Processors (Edexcel IGCSE ICT): Flashcards
Exam code: 4IT1
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What is the purpose of the CPU?
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Cards in this collection (12)
What is the purpose of the CPU?
The purpose of the Central Processing Unit is to execute instructions, which it achieves by completing processor cycles.
Name the three stages of the processor cycle.
The three stages are fetch, decode and execute.
What happens during the fetch stage of the processor cycle?
The next instruction or data is fetched from the computer's memory (RAM) and brought back to the CPU.
What happens during the decode stage of the processor cycle?
The CPU works out what is required from the instruction.
Give two things the CPU might do during the execute stage.
The CPU carries out the instruction, which could mean performing a calculation, storing a result back in main memory, or fetching data from a different location in main memory.
Define clock speed.
Clock speed is the measure of a processor's speed, giving the number of processor cycles that can take place in 1 second.
Clock speed is measured in (Hz).
Clock speed is measured in Hertz (Hz).
How many instructions per second can a clock speed of 3.5 GHz perform?
A clock speed of 3.5 GHz can perform up to 3.5 billion instructions per second, because a gigahertz means a billion cycles per second.
What is a core?
A core works like it is its own CPU, so a multi-core processor has multiple separate processing units that can fetch, decode and execute instructions at the same time.
How many instructions per second can a quad-core CPU running at 3 GHz perform?
4 cores × 3 GHz gives 12 billion instructions per second.
True or False?
A slower clock speed allows more instructions to be fetched and executed per second.
False.
The faster the clock speed, the more instructions can be fetched and executed per second.
How does a faster processor improve a user's experience when playing a game?
A faster processor fetches, decodes and executes more instructions per second, so graphics render more quickly and at greater resolution, making the visuals smoother and the environment more realistic, and allowing more actions to be carried out.
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